Colombo, May 31: Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi dedicated India’s new Parliament House to the nation on May 28, 2023. Congratulating fellow citizens on the occasion, Prime Minister remarked that the day of 28th of May was an immortal signature on the face of time. “People of India have given themselves a gift for the Amrit Mahotsav”, he said.
The new Parliament was the need of the hour given the difficulties faced by the Parliamentarians in getting work done in the old Parliament building due to lack of technical facilities and paucity of seats in the House. The new building blends the ancient and the modern, with interiors of Lok Sabha (House of the People) themed on the national bird peacock and Rajya Sabha(Council of States) on the national flower lotus. The Parliament premises also have the national tree Banyan. In Prime Minister’s words, the building“ has Virasat (Heritage) as well as Vastu (Architecture), Kala(Art) as well as Kaushal(Skill), Sanskriti (Culture) as well as notes of Samvidhan(Constitution)”. The new building embodies the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat having incorporated specialties of different parts of the country, for instance granite from Rajasthan, timber from Maharashtra and carpets by Bhadohi artisans. The New Parliament House also has a gallery dedicated to the 60,000 labourers who were employed for its construction.
Prime Minister, in his remarks on the occasion, said that this is not merely a building but is a reflection of the aspirations and dreams of 1.4 billion Indians. “This is a temple of our democracy that gives a message of India’s resolution to the world”, he said. He continued, “This new Parliament building connects planning to reality, policy to realization, willpower to execution, and sankalp(resolve) to siddhi (realisation)”.
“New models can be established only by treading new paths”, Prime Minister remarked as he highlighted that New India is realizing new goals and paving new ways. “There is a new energy, new zeal, new enthusiasm, new thinking and a new journey. There are new visions, new directions, new resolutions and a new trust”, Prime Minister Modi exclaimed. Prime Minister said that the world is looking towards India’s determination, its citizens’ vigour and the strength of human resource in India with respect and hope. “When India moves forward, the world moves forward”, he remarked.
Parliament being the temple of democracy, Prime Minister on the occasion said “India is not only a democratic nation but also the mother of democracy”. He underlined that democracy is not just a system that is practiced in India but it is a culture, thought and tradition. Prime Minister said that after years of slavery, India resumed its journey and has now reached the Amrit Kaal, i.e the period of 25 years to India’s 100th year of Independence. “Amrit Kaal is a period of forging new dimensions of development while preserving our heritage. This is Amrit Kaal of giving a new direction to the nation.”
Prime Minister said that the new Parliament Building will strengthen the nation’s belief in its success and will inspire everyone towards a Viksit Bharat. “We will have to move with a spirit of – Nation First. We will have to keep the path of duty above all. We will have to be an example with our conduct while constantly improving ourselves. We will have to tread our own path”, he said.
Stressing the importance of the Parliament, the Prime Minister said that it is the resolution of 1.4 billion Indians that consecrates the Parliament. He expressed the hope that every decision taken here will adorn the coming centuries and empower the coming generations. Prime Minister underlined that the path of empowerment of the poor, dalit, backward, tribal, disabled, and every deprived family of the society, along with prioritizing the development of the deprived will pass through this Parliament. This Parliament will become the basis for the creation of a new, prosperous, strong and developed India.
Speaker of Lok Sabha, Om Birla, and Deputy Speaker of Rajya Sabha, Harivansh Narayan Singh were present on the occasion among others.
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